The present invention generally relates to systems and methods for testing an ignition coil and more particularly, to ignition coil testing systems and methods having enhanced safety features.
Internal combustion engines are widely used to provide the motive force for vehicles. During operation of the internal combustion engine, the combustion of a fuel occurs in a combustion chamber. The combustion produces high-temperature and high-pressure gases which are used as a driving force for the engine. In this respect, the internal combustion engine converts chemical energy into mechanical energy.
In a combustion stroke of an internal combustion engine 4-stroke gasoline engine, the valves are closed and the piston travels upward to compress the air/fuel mixture. At the end of the compression stroke, before the piston reaches the top, the ignition system creates a spark so as to ignite the air-fuel mixture. The mixture explodes, driving the piston down and up, which in turn, rotates the crankshaft of the engine.
In most cases, the ignition system includes a spark plug and an ignition coil, which cooperate to produce the spark needed to create the combustion. Over the years, ignition coil configurations have evolved from oil-filled canister configurations, epoxy-filled configurations, e-core configurations, waste spark configurations, with the most recent conventional configuration being a coil-on-plug or “pencil” coil configuration.
Almost all configurations of the ignition coil include three parts, a primary winding, a secondary winding, and a soft-iron core. A magnetic field is created around the soft-iron core when an electric current flows through the primary winding. When the current flowing through hundreds of turns in the primary winding is interrupted, the resulting magnetic field collapses into many thousands of turns in the secondary winding. By “cutting” the magnetic field many thousand times, the secondary winding multiplies or transforms low battery voltage into the voltages needed to create an ignition spark. Most ignition systems require approximately 5-8 amperes of current at 12 volts to produce 7-35 kV of high-intensity spark.
In some ignition coils, a feedback signal is communicated to the Engine Control Module to enable the Engine Control Module to process the information. For instance, the feedback signal may be used to calculate engine speed, perform misfire diagnostics, etc. Depending on the make of the automobile, the feedback signal may be a Tachometer signal, an IGF signal or a CSI signal.
As such, the ignition coil is an integral to the regular operation of the vehicle due to its contribution in creating a spark and providing a feedback signal to the Engine Control Module.
Proper testing of an ignition coil using conventional methods includes relatively complex troubleshooting procedures requiring skill, expensive testing equipment and a substantial amount of time. Such testing typically requires that a technician be adequately trained in the art of electronic troubleshooting and that the technician use sophisticated test equipment.
Consequently, conventional testing techniques do not provide adequate testing procedures. As such, there is a need in the art to provide improved testing systems and methods for verifying the operational capability of an ignition coil.